The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (3-6) hosted the B.C. Lions (5-3) to kickoff Week 9 of the CFL Season from Princess Auto Stadium on Thursday night. The game had the makings of what would’ve been an entertaining game.
However, this game turned into a beatdown and the Winnipeg fans loved every minute of it. It was also the season debut for Winnipeg wide receiver Lucky Whitehead.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, both offenses got off to a slow start with lots of two-and-outs. In need of a spark, Winnipeg defensive back Tyrell Ford got in front of B.C. wide receiver Keon Hatcher to make his third interception of the season on their 38-yard line with 6:05 left.
Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros threw six straight passes for 43 yards before the drive stalled and kicker Sergio Castillo made a 37-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 2:02 left of the first quarter. On the last play of the first quarter, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros threw a 35-yard pass to Ontaria Wilson, who made a nice diving catch on their 50-yard line to start the second quarter up 3-0.
Winnipeg had 103 yards on offense (95 yards passing, 8 yards lost), and three first downs. Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 10 of 11 passes for 95 yards. B.C. had 25 yards on offense (15 yards passing, 10 yards rushing), and no first downs. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 2 of 7 passes for 15 yards and one interception.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Winnipeg’s offense moved the ball to the Lions’ 13-yard line facing third down. The Blue Bombers tried to get the first down but backup quarterback Chris Streveler was short of the first down and B.C. took over with 9:57 left.
B.C.’s offense continued to struggle with only two first downs in the first half. Winnipeg’s secondary was doing a great job covering their guys and not allowing Vernon Adams Jr. to throw the ball. Adams Jr. was sacked twice by the Blue Bombers’ defense.
Winnipeg’s offense went on a six-play drive for 23 yards before stalling and kicker Sergio Castillo made a 60-yard field goal extending their lead 6-0 with 4:33 left of the second quarter.
When Winnipeg’s offense went back out for their next series. Quarterback Zach Collaros led the team to an eight-play drive for 84 yards that resulted in him throwing a 13-yard touchdown pass to Lucky Whitehead. Whitehead caught the ball before diving into the endzone for a 13-0 lead with 28 seconds left. The second quarter ended when B.C. running back William Stanback rushing for a gain of 9 yards to end the first half down 13-0.
First Half Stats:
Winnipeg had 254 yards on offense (222 yards passing, 40 yards rushing, 8 yards lost). Quarterback Zach Collaros completed (83%) for 222 yards, and one touchdown. The offense had eight first downs. Running back Brady Oliveira had four carries for 19 yards and four catches for 42 yards.
Wide receiver Ontaria Wilson made four catches for 67 yards, and Lucky Whitehead made five catches for 58 yards and one touchdown. Winnipeg’s defense made two sacks. Winnipeg was penalized five times for 41 yards. Winnipeg also dominated the time of possession (19:58).
B.C. had 59 yards on offense (47 yards passing, 29 yards rushing, 12 yards lost). Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 6 of 11 passes (55%) for 47 yards, one interception, and one carry for one yard. Running back William Stanback had four carries for 23 yards and one catch for one yard.
Wide receiver Keon Hatcher made two catches for 24 yards, while Ayden Eberhardt made one catch for 10 yards. B.C.’s defense made one sack and one tackle for loss. They were penalized three times for 34 yards. B.C. was not great in time of possession (10:02).
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, B.C. tried to get something going when kicker Sean Whyte attempted a 48-yard field goal. Instead, the Lions went with a trick play when Whyte kicked the ball to Justin McInnis but Winnipeg stopped it with 12:16 left. It was a questionable call by B.C. head coach Rick Campbell because he needed to take those points to avoid being shut out.
Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros and running back Brady Oliveira led the offense to a five-play drive for 54 yards before Sergio Castillo kicked a 32-yard field goal for a 16-0 lead with 9:05 left of the third quarter.
B.C.’s offense did not get a first down in the third quarter. When Winnipeg’s offense went back out, quarterback Zach Collaros led the team to a three-play drive for 29 yards before stalling and kicker Sergio Castillo made his fourth field goal of the night for 51 yards. It was now 19-0 Blue Bombers with 5:02 left of the third quarter.
On the final play of the third quarter, Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira rushed for a gain of seven yards to the Lions’ 23-yard line leading 19-0.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Winnipeg’s offense continued to move the ball to the Lions’ 20-yard line before kicker Sergio Castillo made a 36-yard field goal for a 22-0 lead with 13:36 left of the game.
On the third play for B.C.’s offense, quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. was sacked by TyJuan Garbutt. Adams Jr. was down holding his right knee. He needed assistance to get off the field. Jake Dolegala was the new quarterback for the Lions. Adams Jr. was in the tent for 10 minutes and came out limping with an ice pack on his right knee.
Winnipeg’s offense was back out. They went on a seven-play drive for 63 yards before kicker Sergio Castillo kicked an 11-yard field goal for a 25-0 lead with 5:36 left in the game. Chris Streveler took over the game for the Blue Bombers for the final four minutes. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers shut out the B.C. Lions 25-0 for their third win of the season. The last time the Blue Bombers shut out the Lions was October 23, 2021, winning 45-0.
Final Stats:
Winnipeg had 430 yards on offense (295 yards passing, 143 yards rushing, 8 yards lost). Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 27 of 33 passes (81%) for 295 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for 17 yards. Running back Brady Oliveira had a nice game with 17 carries for 100 yards, and four catches for 42 yards.
Wide receiver Ontaria Wilson made seven catches for 112 yards, while Lucky Whitehead made six catches for 56 yards and one touchdown. Kicker Sergio Castillo made six field goals with a long of 60 yards. Winnipeg’s defense made 24 tackles, four sacks, one interception, one tackle for loss, and five tackles on special teams. Winnipeg had 11 first downs and were penalized seven times for 61 yards but they dominated the time of possession (41:52).
B.C. had 102 yards on offense (86 yards passing, 43 yards rushing, 27 yards lost). Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 8 of 17 passes (47%) for 74 yards, one interception, and one carry for one yard. Backup quarterback Jake Dolegala completed 1 of 3 passes (33%) for 12 yards.
Running back William Stanback had 10 carries for 42 yards and one catch for one yard. Wide receiver Alexander Hollins made three catches for 43 yards, while Keon Hatcher made three catches for 28 yards. B.C.’s defense made 54 tackles, one sack, and nine tackles on special teams. B.C. were penalized six times for 73 yards but their time of possession was not good (18:08). The Lions’ offense only had three first downs for the entire game.
Final Thoughts:
The B.C. Lions have not looked good in two games and there is some cause for concern about the direction of this game. The offense could not move the ball in the air or on the ground.
They did not change the playcalling to try and throw off the Blue Bombers and that’s kudos to how great the Blue Bombers’ defense was in this game. The big concern right now is the status of B.C. quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. and how much time he will miss.
Winnipeg was fantastic from start to finish. While they did get off to a slow start in the first quarter, the offense settled down and they started making nice plays to wear out the Lions’ defense. Running back Brady Oliveira looked like his old self breaking tackles and was hard to bring down.
This team dominated the Lions and that’s also kudos to the coaching staff for having them prepared. Winnipeg’s secondary gets a lot of love here because they covered their guys not allowing Adams Jr. to find an open receiver. Whatever changes the Blue Bombers’ coaching staff made in preparation for this game they need to continue doing this for the rest of the season.
Next week, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will have a bye week while the B.C. Lions visit the Edmonton Elks next Sunday at 7 pm on TSN and CBS Sports Network. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
